Female human from around 5,700BC

Thursday, September 12, 2019 - 09:44

Yesterday saw Minister of Heritage John Cortes and Museum Director Clive Finlayson unveil a new addition to the Gibraltar National Library with the forensic reconstruction of a modern neolithic female human from around 5,700BC, which is to be displayed immediately for visitors of the Gibraltar National Museum to have a look and see.

It was appropriate, according to the Minister, that this face of the earliest known modern human “Gibraltarian” woman to have lived on the Rock, was being unveiled during National week.

The Neolithic or New Stone Age is marked by the spread of agriculture from the Middle East.

The forensic reconstruction was made possible when new DNA was recovered from a skull found in 1996 in a cave burial off Europa Point due to new technology. It was discovered that the human was in her late 30s – early 40s, is the first known Gibraltarian, had an estimated height of around 5 foot and 5 inches, had dark eyes and hair and the Museum was able to completely reconstruct the face of who they call, ‘Calpeia’ to what she would have looked like when she was alive.